May 11 – 14, 2026 | Education May 12 – 14, 2026 | Exhibits Detroit, MI | Huntington Place
Early Bird pricing closes March 27. Secure your discounted pass before it's too late.
Keynotes
sponsored by: 
At XPONENTIAL 2026, keynotes are where the industry aligns on what matters most. These four sessions bring the full autonomy ecosystem together to set direction, surface the forces shaping what comes next, and establish shared context across air, ground, and maritime domains.
New for 2026, XPONENTIAL introduces a single Monday evening keynight! Kick off the week with a focused session that sets the tone for the days ahead, followed by a reception open to all attendees.
All times in Eastern Daylight Time
Schedule-at-a-Glance
| Date | Time | Description |
| Monday, May 11, 2026 | 4:00–5:00 PM | Built on Grit. Driven by Innovation. |
| 5:00–6:00 PM | Evening Keynote Reception Open to all attendees |
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| Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | 9:00–10:15 AM | Built to Lead. Driving Towards Impact. |
| Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 9:00–10:15 AM | Engineering a Resilient Future. |
| Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 9:15–10:00 AM | Building for Integration. |
NEW! Keynight - Monday, May 11, 2026 | 4:00–5:00 PM ET
Built on Grit. Driven by Innovation
Sub-Theme: History and Vision
Session Overview
XPONENTIAL 2026 opens in Detroit with a look back and a clear vision forward. This kickoff keynote connects the city’s legacy as the Arsenal for Democracy with today’s autonomy-driven future, examining how industrial strength, resilience, and ingenuity continue to shape national security and technological leadership.
Through a fireside conversation grounded in history and focused on what comes next, this session sets the tone for the week: autonomy does not emerge in isolation, it is built on people, production, and purpose.
Why This Matters
Detroit didn’t just build machines, it built the systems, supply chains, and workforce that powered American resilience in moments of global uncertainty. As autonomy, AI, and uncrewed systems scale across air, ground, and maritime domains, the industry faces familiar questions in a new form: how to produce at scale, secure critical inputs, move at speed, and align innovation with national priorities.
This session reminds the community that the future of autonomy will be forged not only by breakthrough technologies, but by the same principles that once made Detroit the Arsenal for Democracy—grit, collaboration, and the ability to turn vision into reality.
Detroit Welcome
Michael Robbins
President & CEO | AUVSI
Fireside Chat
Forged in Detroit: Industry, Innovation, and Resilience
This discussion traces the historical arc from Detroit’s industrial revolution and World War II mobilization to today’s autonomy movement highlighting how supply chains, manufacturing capacity, and industrial policy remain foundational to resilience, innovation, and national competitiveness.
Fireside Chat Speakers
Arthur Herman
New York Times Bestselling Author & Historian
The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi
Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy | Office of the Secretary of War
Closing Remarks & Reception Kickoff
Michael Robbins
President & CEO | AUVSI
John “J.C.” Coffey
Executive Director, Uncrewed Systems (UXS) | Cherokee Nation Federal
5:00 PM ET - KEYNIGHTS - Monday Evening Keynote and Networking Reception
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | 9:00 -10:15 AM ET
Built to Lead. Driving Towards Impact.
Sub-theme: Where we are... Progress, pressure, and the decisions ahead
Session Overview
This keynote takes a clear-eyed look at the state of the autonomy ecosystem, not just where we hope to be, but where we are. It connects the technical, policy, investment, and operational realities shaping the industry today and names the tensions that leaders are navigating in real time: scaling vs. safety, innovation vs. trust, speed vs. resilience.
This session establishes a baseline for the week, giving attendees the context they need to engage meaningfully in deeper conversations that will follow. It anchors the community in purpose, defining what leadership looks like as autonomy moves from promise to impact across air, ground, and maritime domains.
Featuring national-level perspectives on regulation, industrial capacity, and execution at scale, the program frames the policy and operational realities shaping autonomy adoption today, while challenging industry to lead responsibly, innovate decisively, and deliver outcomes.
Why This Matters
Autonomy has moved past the phase where optimism alone carries the conversation. Decisions being made now about standards, partnerships, deployment models, and public trust, will define the next decade of adoption.
This keynote session matters because it:
- Creates a shared understanding of the industry’s current inflection point, cutting through hype and fragmentation
- Clarifies what has changed, technically, politically, and economically, and why last year’s playbooks may no longer apply
- Frames the tradeoffs leaders are actively managing, rather than presenting autonomy as a linear success story
Attendees won’t just leave inspired; they will leave grounded, better equipped to engage in conversations they can’t have anywhere else, with people who are shaping what happens next.
Community Address
The Community Address grounds the audience in AUVSI’s mission, outlines what matters most in the year ahead, and issues clear calls to action for industry, government, and partners as autonomy scales globally.
Michael Robbins
President & CEO | AUVSI
Federal Regulatory Voice on Autonomy
Senior leaders will offer perspectives on the evolving regulatory environment for drones and advanced air mobility, with a focus on safety, integration, and enabling innovation at scale.
Speakers to be announced
Industrial Base Leadership Keynote
Building on the historical context introduced in Monday’s opening fireside, Assistant Secretary Cadenazzi will deliver remarks on the state of the U.S. industrial base, examining supply chain resilience, production readiness, and the policies required to support autonomy, defense, and national competitiveness in an increasingly contested global environment.
The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi
Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy | Office of the Secretary of War
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:15 AM ET
COMING SOON
Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 9:15 – 10:00 AM ET
COMING SOON
Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors + Partners
